Latino poverty rate on the increase

Nov 29, 2012

Latinos
Latinos poverty rates climbed to 28 percent after the government took into account safety-net programs such as food stamps and housing, which have lower participation among immigrants and non-English speakers.

The numbers released by the Census Bureau, and reported by LatinoFoxNews, are part of a newly developed supplemental poverty measure that provides a fuller picture of poverty that the government believes can be used to assess safety-net programs by factoring in living expenses and taxpayer-provided benefits that the official formula leaves out.

Based on the revised formula, the number of poor people exceeded the 49 million, or 16 percent of the population, who were living below the poverty line in 2010.

Due to medical expenses, higher living costs and limited immigrant access to government programs, people 65 or older, Hispanics and urbanites were more likely to be struggling economically under the alternative formula.

The portrait of poverty broken down by state notably changed. California tops the list, hurt by high housing costs, large numbers of immigrants as well as less generous tax credits and food stamp programs to buoy low-income families.

Broken down by group, poverty was disproportionately affecting people 65 and older — about 15.1 percent, or nearly double the 8.7 percent rate calculated under the official formula. They also have higher medical expenses, such as Medicare premiums, deductibles and drug costs, that aren't factored into the official rate.

Working-age adults ages 18-64 saw an increase in poverty from 13.7 percent to 15.5 percent, due mostly to commuting and child care costs.

Hispanics and Asians also saw much higher rates of poverty, 28 percent and 16.9 percent, respectively.

Source: Latino Fox News, Latino Poverty Rate Climbs to 28%, (based on reporting by The Associated Press), November 14, 2012.